


Still Somewhat Perfect

by afteriwake



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Awesome Mary Morstan, Caretaker Mary, Declarations Of Love, Established Mary Morstan/John Watson, F/M, Fluff, John Is A Bad Patient, John-centric, Nice Mary Morstan, POV John, POV John Watson, Post-Reichenbach, Pre-Episode: s03e01 The Empty Hearse, Romantic Fluff, Romantic John, Sick Character, Sick John, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, ruined plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 15:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6476674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John had plans for the perfect romantic weekend away to tell Mary that he loved her. He didn't count on coming down with a damn cold, however. Fortunately, he has the most wonderful woman in the world to nurse him back to health, and his plans are still somewhat salvaged.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still Somewhat Perfect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Amberowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amberowl/gifts).



> So a while back **Amberowl** sent me prompts for a kiss meme while I had my old laptop, and I diligently copied down each prompt that she sent along with the type of the kiss to a text file. Unfortunately, in the process of transferring files from my old laptop to my new one, one of the prompts (the one for the John/Mary ship) became lost to the ether. All I was left with was the ship, "romantic" and a number. So I improvised. I had another meme saved to my computer and I also had it tagged on my Tumblr, a "[the way you said 'I love you.'](http://penaltywaltz.tumblr.com/post/137500814574/the-way-you-said-i-love-you)" prompt meme, and I used the corresponding number prompt (" _with a hoarse voice, under the blankets_ ") for this prompt. I also got inspired by a different prompts meme, one for [nonsexual acts of intimacy](http://penaltywaltz.tumblr.com/post/137274126169/nonsexual-acts-of-intimacy-select-from-the), and used the " _caring for each other while ill_ " prompt for that as well.

“It’s true what they say. Doctors make the worst patients. And you, Doctor John Hamish Watson, are a _horrible_ patient.”

He grunted and burrowed under the covers more. This was not how he had planned for their romantic weekend in Devon to go. He’d planned it all so carefully, down to the very last detail. He’d gotten them a nice holiday cottage, arranged for all of her favourite foods to be there, for the place to be filled with her favourite flowers, for there to be good wine and candles...when he told her he loved her for the first time it was going to be absolutely perfect.

But he hadn’t expected to feel ill the day before. He’d brushed it off as something inconsequential, a sore throat from the cold snap in the air, but he should have known better, and now he was spending their three day holiday in bed with a cold while Mary was having to play nursemaid. He had all the classic symptoms: nasal symptoms, runny nose, congestion, cough and even a slight fever, which was just his luck. He knew Mary knew he was contagious; the first three days someone had a cold was their most contagious period but she stubbornly stayed even though their holiday was ruined and she’d probably get sick too, and even though he knew he was being an absolute beast.

He had thought he couldn’t love her any more than he did, but he was wrong.

“I’m trying not to be,” he said, his voice hoarse from the cough that just didn’t want to seem to let up. “But the whole weekend is ruined and I feel miserable.”

“Well, we can try again some other time,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed and smoothing his hair back. He looked up at he, at the smile on her face and then shut his eyes for a moment, savouring the feel of her stroking his hair back. That felt good. He hadn’t been up for much, but having her next to him had been a comfort.

“I promise I will make this up to you,” he said.

“You sound a bit better already. You’ve definitely gotten over the worst of it all, I think, except the damn cough. That just calls for more tea, I think,” she said. “But we have the rest of today and tonight. Maybe if you feel up to it a bit later you can get out of this bed for a little while and join me in the kitchen while I cook some of the delicious food you had for us here. I popped out to the supermarket and got containers because I’ll be damned if I’m leaving it here. We’re taking it all back to London with us and I’m going to dine like a queen for a while. The wine, too. I’m taking all of it. I mean, the point was for us to enjoy it and if we can’t enjoy it here then we’ll just enjoy it all back in London. It won’t be at a romantic holiday cottage but I think my flat will do just fine, don’t you?”

He grinned at that and opened his eyes, then reached over and pulled her down, scooting over more towards the middle of the bed as he did. It took some adjusting and moving about and there were a few giggles from her in the process, but soon the covers were thrown over both of them, and she was facing him, wide smile on her face as she looked over at him. He had his fingers gently gripping her waist for a moment before he began to run his hand up and down her side. “I’m sorry the whole weekend was ruined,” he said. “If we get to do this again, I swear, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I am healthy and whole next time.”

“It happens, John,” she said, moving her hands to place them on his chest. “Things don’t always go according to plan. It happens to the best of us, from time to time. If life always went according to plan, where would the fun be? I always like to think the unexpected can be more fun. Or at the very least, more interesting.”

He gave her a grin at that. “That’s one of the things I love about you, you know that? That you’re always such an optimist.”

She blinked, looking damn near shocked for a second, and then she ducked her head down after that. “So you love me?” she asked. “You really love me?”

“I love you very much, Mary Elizabeth Morstan. You saved me at a point when I thought that I was beyond saving. You brought me back from the brink and you gave me something to live for, and I will be forever grateful. But more than that, you’ve brought light and laughter and hope in my life again, and I can never thank you enough for that,” he said, taking one of her hands and bringing her knuckles to his lips to kiss them. “I’d give you a proper kiss but I’m still contagious. Don’t want to get you sick as well, not after you’ve spent this weekend taking care of me and all.”

“I don’t care about that,” she said, scooting closer to close the gap between them, pressing her body close to his. She moved her hand out of his grip and caressed his face with it. “I love you too, John. More than I ever thought I could. More than I ever dreamed was possible. You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever known, and I love you more than I ever thought possible.” She leaned in and pressed her lips to his, and after a moment he slid an arm around her waist to keep her close. This wasn’t _exactly_ how he had pictured everything going, but it was still damn near perfect as far as he was concerned.


End file.
